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March Madness: Which teams could Cinderella’s slipper fit this year?

Since George Mason reshaped what it means to be a Cinderella team in 2006 by reaching the Final Four, everyone is looking for the next team to wear the slipper. Who could it be this year?

Saint Mary's Matthew Dellavedova, right, is guarded by Bruce Massey Jr. of Middle Tennessee during the NCAA tournament's First Four at University of Dayton Arena on Tuesday, March 19, 2013. saint Mary's won 67-54. (Barbara J. Perenic / MCT)

But what the George Mason Patriots did in 2006 changed what it means to be a Cinderella team in the
NCAA tournament
.

Just ask Toronto Raptors star Rudy Gay.

Gay was playing for Connecticut, a favourite to win the tournament that year, when the Huskies met George Mason in the Elite Eight.

Led by a hodgepodge of players, the small school was virtually unknown before the tournament began.

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The 11th-seeded Colonial Athletic Association team beat sixth-ranked Michigan State, third-seeded North Carolina and No. 7 Wichita State to reach the Elite Eight.

By the time Connecticut and George Mason met at Washington’s Verizon Centre for a chance to play eventual champs Florida in the Final Four, the Patriots had become America’s team.

George Mason would beat Gay and the powerhouse Huskies
86-84 in overtime
in what is widely considered one of the best games in tournament history.

So who looks to put on this year’s slipper and make a run for the Final Four?

In a year when parity is the buzzword — and recent Cinderellas VCU and Butler are ranked as the fifth and sixth seeds, respectively — there are a number of teams that could send higher seeds packing.

AKRON: Owners of a 19-game winning streak this year, the 12th-seeded Zips could upset a former Cinderella in No. 5 Virginia Commonwealth. However, the task is more daunting than it might have been before the Zips lost guard Alex Abreau to injury. The team will rely heavily on seven-footer Zeke Marshall to escape the Rams’ HAVOC defence, ranked in the top 10 in the nation.

BELMONT: The Bruins (11th seed, West) play a defensively focused team in Arizona in the first round. However, the Wildcats have dreadful defence against the long ball — and Belmont shoots almost 40 per cent from beyond the arc, not to mention nearly 50 per cent from the field. Arizona has lost three of its last six, while Belmont is on a six-game winning streak.

BUCKNELL: The Bison (11th seed, East) aren’t prone to turnovers and are a tall, strong team that rebounds well. Centre Mike Muscala averaged 19 points, 11.2 rebounds, 2.4 blocks and 2.4 assists this season for the Patriot League conference champs. If he dominates like he has all year against a smaller Butler team, Buckell has the ingredients to make a run for the Sweet Sixteen.

MISSISSIPPI: When they’re hot, they can beat anyone — just ask Florida, who lost to Ole Miss 66-63 to win the SEC title and earn an automatic bid. Since a losing streak earlier this year — they lost five of seven — the Rebels’ Marshall Henderson has been on a tear, averaging 22 points a game. The Rebels face No. 5 Wisconsin in the first round, and the pesky Badgers will be no easy task; however, if the focused Ole Miss shows up, upset city could be just around the bend.

SAINT MARY’S: The Gaels, who won their play-in game handily over Middle Tennessee on Tuesday night, haven’t lost to anyone not named Gonzaga since Dec. 23. They’ve won 20 of 23 since then, with the three losses coming at the hands of the No. 1 team in the nation.

Led by Matthew Dellavedova’s lights-out shooting, the Gaels (No. 11, Midwest) could easily upset sixth-seeded Memphis and give Michigan State a run for its money in the second round. And having made it to the Sweet Sixteen three years ago, another trip isn’t impossible.

Correction - March 25, 2013:
This article was edited from a previous version that included the incorrect score for games in which Saint Mary's suffered a loss. As well, the article mistakenly said Saint Mary's made it to the Sweet Sixteen last year.

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